[Guest]

I just read frognet and it reminded me that I haven't heard anything on epibatidine and ABT-594 (I think that's the name) for some time. Anyone have the latest?
J

 

[melissa68]

Justin,

As I was typing a question for you to elaborate, I remembered what it was. To eliminate other questions, here is a link regarding Justin's subject http://www.chem.orst.edu/ch331-7t/ch331/MOTD113.htm & another http://www.phc.vcu.edu/Feature/oldfeature/epi/.

I always thought these articles were really cool.

Melis

I just read frognet and it reminded me that I haven't heard anything on epibatidine and ABT-594 (I think that's the name) for some time. Anyone have the latest?
J

 

[Guest]

I have been looking for a something solid to back up the anecdote that the Epibatidine source population is extinct. Anyone else heard that?

Here is an article that gets into Ecuador's side of the drug and its development a little:
http://home.intekom.com/tm_info/rw81125.htm#06

 

[Guest]

I sincerely doubt that 750 specimens would effect the populations numbers of them. From what I remember hearing of them in Ecuador they are an EXTREMELY abundant frog, at times, considered a weed. In captivity we know of their reproductive potential, so I have doubts of that claim. I do sympathisize with Ecuador though on that. I personally think they should be compensated certainly for the research. However, this does bring up the ownership issue of who's frog it was. Was it the government's, the locals whose land the actual frog came from... Interesting stuff.

However, does anyone have the latest on it in their research? I had heard rumors of it passing trials in Europe, and it going through some in the US, but I haven't verified it lately. Just curious as we were discussing it in herpetology class Tuesday night.
Best,
Justin

 

[Guest]

That wasn't my point. I posted the biopiracy article because it is a side of the story some folks might not be familiar with; Abbot Labs is making money (or trying to) off Ecuador's natural resources. Ecuador has passed some laws on this and on pollution/waste disposal in the last decade, the current Exxon lawsuits might set precedent for whether or not they can be applied to international companies (like Abbot) retroactively.

Probably what does in E. tricolor populations is development. Ecuador's pacific slope forest cover is something like 95% cleared since the 1930s. But I don't think you can pass off 750 frogs as a drop in the bucket. Without an understanding of the population and what’s going on in its habitat, there isn’t much point to arguing why.

 

[EDs Fly Meat]

It makes sense that the drug company would do European trials first. The FDA is so strict and the data they gather is extensive so it takes longer to market a drug. Thus drug companies go to Europe where they can perform drug studies without the restrictions. I saw Dr. John Daily's talk at the first IAD, and he discussed this subject. The epibatidine is attached to a toxic section of the molecule. They cleaved off the toxic part and found a possible drug for nicotine receptors. They can't make it in a lab, the molecule is too complex for chem labs to make, so they tried to make on as close as possible, to the original. I guess they succeeded. It is apparently 100 times more powerful than morphine at killing pain without the narcotic side effects (sedation, respiratory depression, etc). The target is for cancer patinets. :wink: